15.
~ Norma felt her lips tingle slightly. She'd never been kissed before. It wasn't at all what she expected or how she expected it to be. She'd seen too many old movies that her head was full of ideas of how kissing a man was supposed to be like.
Perhaps she and Alex were supposed to be in a French cafe as Nazis were invading and they were casually discussing their plans for evacuation and marriage. Something where the music swelled at just the right moment with cannon fire.
Still, it didn't exactly feel wrong. It had been simple and direct. Alex didn't make her feel scared or that she was incapable of saying no to him. She'd been nervous he might do more and pressed her hand to his chest, only slightly, and he'd broken away respectfully. A pleased little smile on his face as he looked her over.
Norma could feel the slight rush of embarrassment rush to her cheeks at the unexpected turn her morning had taken. At the idea that Alex had made the move and that he didn't want to just be her friend. That he wanted more than that.
She felt her cheeks grow warm with delight as he drove them to school. Normally, such an idea would terrify her. Her experience was always that men wanted and took things from women. That they only saw a woman's body for what they wanted to do to it. But Alex had stopped kissing her when she motioned for him to stop. He'd been brave enough to stand up to his "friends" for her. Maybe he wasn't as bad as the boys back home.
'He's not Caleb.' A dark thought swam into her mind and she quickly pushed it away again.
~ Alex was aware everyone would be watching them now. When they arrived at school and he took Norma's slight hand in his, he could feel the atmosphere change all around them. Public displays of affection were banned at school but handholding fell into that gray area that seemed to be allowed, but with limits. It was a small action that spoke volumes for any couple and it publicly declared themselves to the rest of "society".
Alex notice Bob Paris' large buggy eyes grow even wider with interest and that the other juniors were watching Norma as Alex walked her to her locker and told her how he'd meet her for lunch. Norma looked a little nervous at the sudden attention and stares, but she was smiling beautifully and seemed to be in a good mood. The thin sweater she was wearing was a sort of red, sort of purple. The kind of shade girls could identify easily but Alex only knew it complimented her skin tone nicely.
Bob Paris was waiting for him in the Junior hallway before the first bell after Alex walked Norma to her computer class. The two old friends had hardly spoken the entire school year and now he wanted to act like he hadn't been giving Alex the cold shoulder that year.
"You and the new girl?" Bob asked with a raised eyebrow. Alex strode past him and sat down at his desk. Their first class was chemistry and they had a quiz. Alex had studied and the answers came easily to him. He turned in his test and, per instruction from the teacher, was banished to the hallway to read or talk quietly till everyone else was done.
Bob Paris finished the same time Alex did, leaving him no chance of enjoying the book he'd brought with him.
"What's her name again?" Bob whispered sliding down the wall next to Alex and cooling making sure no one else could hear them. "Norma Calhoun? Kind of an old lady name." He laughed.
Alex knew he was making an angry face because Bob immediately apologized.
"She is very cute." He said quickly. Alex refused to look at his childhood friend. He knew all too well the smug, self satisfied look Bob Paris was giving off just now.
"Rebecca says you're bringing her with us to the quarry on Sunday." Bob went on. "Should be fun. Lot of us will be there. Weather should be hot."
Alex could feel that things might become dangerous with Bob. He'd changed so much over the last year that their relationship was unrecognizable. Gone was the skinny, awkward ten year old Alex had befriended in fourth grade.
In his place was a cocky, arrogant rich kid who was hateful and openly cruel just for fun.
"I don't know if Norma and I can make it." Alex said carefully. Each word coming slowly so that Bob would have to work for it for once.
"Why not?" Bob flustered. "What else is there to do in this town?"
Bob looked at the other few students were milling about in the hallway and whispering. All of them staying away from him and Bob.
"I didn't want to say anything before, but I think you can do better than this girl, Alex." Bob said at last.
Alex felt something's inside him tighten. Those hard defenses spring up whenever someone talked about something he felt protective of. Usually it was his mother or occasionally his dad, but this was the first time it was a girl.
"I mean, sure she's cute, she cleans up nice and all." Bob was saying. His words were becoming a roar like white noise in Alex's ears. "But a girl like that?" He laughed. "I've seen it before. A girl like that is basically trash and always will be. I mean, they're fun, and they're willing and eager." He chortled knowingly. "But you don't want a girl like that trapping you. Know what I mean? They'll always take the trailer park with them."
For a moment, Alex pictured Bob Paris' blood pouring out all over the school hallway. The snotty rich kid choking and crying from a broken nose as Alex stood over him. A well delivered punch to the throat would silence Bob Paris and another one to the nose would put him in pain for a while.
But, there would be consequences. Alex would be expelled for one. Bob Paris' father was rich and he was sure to sue. Alex would lose all hope of any athletic of academic scholarship he might have had. People like Bob Paris were protected with money and family power. Alex had no such protection. So, Bob Paris could say and do whatever he liked.
Seeing that Alex couldn't and wouldn't punch him as he so rightly deserved, Bob Paris gave another little smirk.
"Listen. I'll be there Sunday with Rebecca. We're going to stay Saturday night camping if you and Norma want to come late and stay over. I've uhh..." he looked around for an exaggerated amount of time. "I've got some stuff to loosen the girls up if you know what I mean. My dad brought it back from his trip to San Francisco."
"When he went to one of the bath houses there?" Alex asked casually.
"What?" Bob asked innocently. The rude youth not savvy enough to catch Alex's meaning.
Alex's shook his head.
"I don't think we'll be needing that." he said. Waving a hand at Bob and wishing he would leave.
"Don't need it with her?" Bob asked with a grin. "What did I tell you? Willing and eager. That's how all those white trash girls are."
~ It bothered Alex that Bob Paris saw Norma like that. That he couldn't see her sweetness. Couldn't see how kindly she talked about her brother in the military and how much she missed him.
"We used to do everything together." Norma admitted over lunch.
The weather was sunny that Friday and everyone had migrated to the outside athletic fields to play and eat. Norma and Alex watched and enjoyed the sunshine that dared to grace this part of Oregon.
"You're family traveled a lot?" Alex asked eyeing Bob Paris and Rebecca. They were milling about the bottom of the bleachers. Laughing and casting odd looks back at them.
Norma shrugged as though she didn't want to tell the rest of her story. She was eating her homemade sandwich slowly, carefully making it last.
"My dad worked in construction. You... go where the money is." She said. Alex knew she was lying because she said it as though she was asking a question not making a statement.
He looked up at her and smiled. It didn't matter to him if her family was poor. He had skeletons in his own closet that were much worse than just poverty.
"Well, I'm glad you're here now." He said honestly. She smiled a radiant smile at him. Her skin seeming to bloom under the warmth of the sun.
"I'm looking forward to Sunday." She said. "Hanging out with your friends. Swimming."
"I was thinking we shouldn't go." Alex told her remembering how crass Bob Paris had acted that morning.
"You think I can't swim?" Norma accused playfully kicking him. "I'll have you know I'm a very good swimmer."
Alex had to smile back. He dared not argue with her when she was in a good mood. He liked her this way and wanted her to be happy.
"I know you can." He admitted easily.
"You don't want me around your friends?" Norma asked in a cold tone. "You're worried I'll embarrass you?"
"I..." Alex stuttered. He wasn't used to such abruptness but looking back at Norma he could tell that she wouldn't be lied to. "No." He said honestly. "I'm not worried you'll embarrass me. I'm worried they'll embarrass me and you'll hate me."
He nodded to Bob and Rebecca.
"We're not exactly close anymore." He admitted. "Haven't been for sometime."
"Why not?" Norma asked sympathetically.
Alex shrugged. He didn't know how to explain it.
"You've known them since you were little right?" She asked. He nodded. "Well, people change. They grow apart. My family always moved before I could grow apart from anyone." She said sourly.
"Well, lets hope your moving days are over." Alex said sternly and laced his fingers around hers. She smiled pleasantly but he caught that flash of darkness cloud her face again. That darkness that never really went away.